Stand Up
by PagetPaulson
Summary: He started it.
Emily ignored the words coming from the older man as she got herself out of the car and slammed the door. Shouldering her purse, the agent waited for her husband to step out of the car.

"If there's a scratch on that door," the older man muttered, stepping out of the car.

Glancing at her husband, Emily rounded the front of the car with her heels stomping against the ground. "That's what you're worried about?" she hissed, walking with the man she had married up to the school's front doors.

Hotch grit his teeth. "It's a new car."

"Our son is getting suspended and you're worried about a car," she spit back at him.

The Unit Chief bit his tongue to keep from blowing up at the younger woman. They had both gotten called by their son's school an hour earlier to inform them that the twelve year old was getting suspended for two days for punching another student. Immediately both parents were in the car and off to the school, wondering what could have happened to make Jack act out.

Emily almost charged through the door her husband held open for her and led the way to the school's main office, not bothering to knock before entering. "Hi," she nodded to the secretary. "Emily and Aaron Hotchner. Were Jack's parents."

The blue eyed woman smiled. "First door on the right."

Emily bolted down the hall and into the room she was instructed to. Her eyes immediately landed on her son in front of the principal, his small body sagged in the visitor's chair.

"Mr. and Mrs. Hotchner," the principal nodded.

Once his wife was out of his line of sight, Hotch's eyes found his eight year old little girl sitting in the corner. "Aggie?"

Agatha Ray charged into her father's arms.

Emily sat beside her son, her hand on his. "What is going on?"

The school's principal set his clasped hands on his desk. "Jack physically assaulted another student today out on the kickball field."

Emily kept herself from retorting. He was twelve, it wasn't as if her son kicked the shit out of the other boy.

"But what happened?" Hotch asked, setting his crying daughter in his lap.

"Jack wouldn't do something unless he was provoked," Emily argued, her hand reaching behind her son to run a hand down Agatha's back. "And what does Aggie have to do with it? She surely didn't hit anybody."

The principal shook his head. "She did."

Agatha was quick to shake her head.

"Jack," the principal spoke up, "Aggie, why don't you tell your parents what happened?"

The twelve year old kept his face straight, his head down.

"Jack," Emily pressed, "what happened?"

"He started it," he assured her.

"Who started what?"

Jack sighed. "Nick was making fun of Aggie."

Both Hotchner parents looked to their daughter who was trying to calm herself down. "Aggie?"

The eight year old girl pouted, shaking her head. "He was being mean about my braids and said only babies wear braids," she huffed. "He said I still eat baby food 'cause I'm a baby."

Hotch hugged his daughter to his chest.

"That's when Agatha punched Nicholas Cook in the stomach," the principal supplied.

Emily would congratulate her daughter once they were home. Obviously her children knew not to be violent, but her little girl was never too god with her words, and they had taught her how to stand up for herself. "She was being bullied."

The principal hardened his eyes on the FBI agent. "We do not teach our students to use violence to solve problems."

"Are you suggesting that's what we're teaching our kids?" Emily growled. "She was being harassed by an older boy, what did you want her to do?"

Hotch reached over and took his wife's hand. "Where does Jack come into this?" he cut in.

Jack made a face as he sat farther back in his chair, hating his parents' arms crossing over him.

"Jack's friend told him what was happened and went over to the kickball field."

"He wouldn't stop," the twelve year old complained. "Then he said Aggie was still a baby because you guys weren't home all the time and I got mad."

Emily met her husband's eyes over Jack's head.

Aggie lifted hers from her father's chest. "Mommy and daddy are always working and flying 'cause they're superheroes."

The twelve year old boy high fived his little sister.

"This is not something to be celebrated," the principal said strictly, forcing Jack to sink back in his chair.

"Sir," Emily nodded, "I understand what they did was wrong, but my children were provoked. This other child was bullying our daughter. If Jack is getting suspended and he didn't even start the fight, what is this other boy getting?"

Straightening his shoulders, the older man on the other side of the desk got himself ready for an earful from the parents before him. "Right now Nicholas is with the nurse, but I plan to speak with him.

Hotch could feel the anger radiating off of his wife. "And?"

"Mr. Hotchner, you son was the one to start the physical fight."

"That's not the point," Emily almost yelled. "What happened was that this boy made fun of our children. He was bullying them," she insisted, "and I'm not saying Jack and Aggie were right, but they did not start this."

The principal stiffened.

"If this is how you run your school then I don't think I want my kids here."

Hotch turned to look at his wife. "Emily."

"Ms. Prentiss, I-"

"Agent," Emily said strongly. "How is it possible to punish the children who were not the instigators? What kind of a system is this?"

The Unit Chief squeezed Emily's hand. "I think what's important here is to give Nicholas a punishment. Jack got physical and the other boy did not, we understand that. But what e need is confirmation that the child who started the fight will be punished, whether it be detention, suspension or having privileges taken away."

The principal paused before nodding his head. "I can make sure that happens."

Quickly standing from her chair, Emily gestured for her son to stand. "I would like a call from the school once this boy's punishment is given," she almost ordered, her eyes on the principal's.

"Of course. Have a good day."

Emily stole her daughter from her husband's arms and led the family out of the office and out of the school, the sun hitting her eyes. "Jack, you know that was wrong."

The sandy haired boy slowly nodded his head.

Hotch knelt before the still short boy and held out his hand.

Breaking out into a smile, Jack high fived his father.

"Don't tell anyone that happened," her mother snorted, kissing her daughter's head and letting her jump into the car. "You did good, baby." Running her fingers over her daughter's braids, she winked.

Aggie's cheeks blushed as the door closed. Her mother wore braids to bed almost every night. Braids weren't for babies, they were for big girls.


End file.
